Redondo Beach Public Library -- The Main Library

Amazing library at the very least. The reading areas are in open and spacious areas which makes one feel much less confined.
The study area near the large window wall is simply beautiful and it even seems to make your studies go well also.
It is only my first visit, but I am in love! The chairs are pretty comfortable too.
Adiós~

I good place to study quietly. and free wifi is fast. Most important thing is only 0.05miles from my house. Nice!

Great library for children! They offer a monthly dance program for kids of all sizes to come. Although my son is only 4 months he loves watching the other children run around. Baby lapsit is also another reason we keep coming. Good way to encourage reading early. Lots of nursery rhymes and block play.

Love studying here, I just wish they would close at a later time! Maybe 10:00pm? pretty clean, and I love the view!

Sometimes I come here when it’s too hot to work in my non-​airconditioned apartment. WiFi is fast, but very asymmetrical (65Mbps down, 3Mbps up)

I have been going here off and on for a few years to study for some certifications. Overall, it is a nice large facility that has decent hours as opposed to some other libraries. Has a big parking lot and close to a strip mall so you can go shopping after. They have made some changes to their wifi and it is a lot better now as opposed to a year ago. The staff seems friendly and knowledgeable. They even have some free programs both for kids and adults.
Only downside is not a lot of places for outlets. Plus It can also get crowded after school is out when tons of teenagers invade the place.

On 8÷1÷14 I wanted to donate a number of books (quality art, literature, and history books — all in good shape). I called and the gentleman I spoke to said that they would accept good quality books — completely understandable.
I arrived at the library, parked on the street, and took in a sampling of the books I had to donate to make sure that they were acceptable. I took them to the circulation desk and the woman who assisted me said that all of them were acceptable and offered a tax receipt in exchange for the books.
I told her that I had a number of other books and that the man I spoke to earlier said that I could borrow a cart to bring in the rest from my vehicle. She agreed, but said that I had to leave my driver license as collateral. I realized just then that I had forgotten my wallet at home — and I offered to leave my cell phone or even my car keys as a guarantee that I would return the cart.
She said no, that she couldn’t do that. I said that I really wanted to donate the items — but that I needed to use the cart. She insisted that employees «had had a meeting» during which they were told not to lend the carts out without a driver license. OK, now I understand that there are regulations — but seriously, if I offered to leave other (more valuable) items? And to just insist that it was «regulation»?
I might have felt differently if I hadn’t just dropped off books worth $ 300 or so on her counter as a DONATION. I had several hundred dollars worth of additional donations, but I guess regulations are more important.
So I left. Never to return with the rest of the items. And to top it off, the woman didn’t give me the tax receipt. So much for trying to do a good deed.

This library has the most extensive DVD collection I have ever seen at a library. If you are looking for obscure films, foreign films, or classics, this is the place to find them. There are study areas (separate rooms) that are more quiet, and the common areas are clean and quiet as well. This is an excellent place to spend a few hours if you want to get out of the sun. The inter-​library loan system also let’s you access any book or DVD in the entire California system.

I love coming here. It’s mostly quiet. There are a few sound disturbances from the employees, but other than that, it’s a wonderful place to get work done. There are enough tables with outlets next to them. I enjoy the organic lighting through the big window that overlooks PCH. It’s gives the building a sense of openness.

I don’t know why some people complained about spotty wifi and homeless people. The wifi is working perfectly, and a «myriad» of homeless people is definitely an overstatement. These types of comments deterred me from coming here sooner, but now that I have experienced the library myself, I know that the pros heavily outweigh the cons. I will be coming here more often, for sure.
This is actually my first time here, and gosh I am THE ultimate Redondo Beach Library noob.
From the minute I parked my car to the minute I actually sat down to study, I had already made a plethora of mistakes. So, here are the tips I compiled from my mistakes:
TIPS
* Bathroom is at the entrance, before the lobby. Pretty clean, and there are always people going in and out. Not much privacy, but this is expected at a public library.
* Park in the underground lot! Don’t park at the police station like a doofus. (aka me)
* If you want a study room, go to the Information desk towards the middle of the library. You give them your driver’s license and then they open a study room for you. If you need to go to the bathroom, you can leave your stuff in the room because it automatically locks by itself. When you need to get back in, just tell the Information desk again.
The people at the Information Desk are sooooooo nice! They just have a welcoming and friendly aura about them. They didn’t make me feel stupid about my 859 183 745 questions, and didn’t seem bothered at all. When I came in around 12 PM on a Saturday, there were a lot of open seats at the study desks. I think only 1 out of the 4 study rooms were filled as well.

A little bit older, not many outlets for laptops etc and no eating in the whole library. But I like that it is there to offer us a nice and clean place to study.

Redondo Beach Library has so much potential to be a terrific studying spot. They have a beautiful, spacious building, high ceilings, cheap and tasty eateries adjacent to the location, and nice study rooms! But the spotty wifi, uncomfortable chairs, poor lighting, lack of outlets, and myriad of homeless people negate all the positives. I’ve studied here on a couple occasions, but didn’t get much done either time.
—–
Verdict: Thumbs down, for now.
Extra Notes:
–Free Wifi, but unreliable
–Closed on Sundays
–Great selection of fiction books
–Nice children’s section
–Kind, helpful staff
–Best studying spot is near the windows facing away from McDonald’s. Best wifi, lighting and outlet there
–parking garage available
–Restrooms could be cleaner

They have study rooms! Study rooms!!! There’s a two hour time limit if there’s someone waiting, but that’s longer than my attention span anyway.
Plus the common area isn’t very loud either. Aside from the occasional inconsiderate baby or verbose toddler whose doting mother allows them to ramble, everyone is quite considerate, and it seems that most people do come here to get stuff done. The library itself is spacious, and the staff are friendly and polite. The one downside is that the bathroom is a bit of a hike, but I guess that’s my motivation to abide by the no food or drink (except in sealed containers) rule…

It’s not so much a library in the traditional sense, as it is daycare for the Redondo Beach homeless population. The RB library has always functioned in this capacity, even going back 30 years, when it was in Veterans Park. Having said that, it is a valuable case study for anyone studying Malthusian economics and the concept of surplus population.
There are lots of computers, for those who don’t have one (due to not having a home to put one in) and the book selection has never been fantastic. If you want a nice, well-​stocked library, try Torrance, MB or PV… heck even Hermosa beats this place. But if you have no problem with lice and TB, this may be the place for you.
The one good thing about the library is that since it does act as a collection point for the local homeless during its hours of operation, the rest of the city is very clean, and I’m sure nearby businesses such as Starbucks and McDonald’s appreciate the city’s cleanup efforts in this regard.

I really liked it here :) extensive audiobook collection. very helpful reference guides

We use to be the regular customers where there are books to be had and when the kids could be satisfied with just reading good books, now they are more interested in the virtual world of on-​line gaming and wii. Time has changed, although armed with ibook and other gadgetries of reading stimulants I find myself slowly but surely loosing the battle. So it’s time to clean out the books and give them to the book store in this library, so they can be useful to the others.
Today as I was dropping off those books with my son, and observing how he has bloosomed into a such good mannered and a tall strikingly handsome preteen, I’m thankful that we have such a wonderful library to nourish him all these years. This library stands as a beacon of hope for tradition and good old values.

Yikes it closes 1 hour earlier than the library in Torrance! The movie selection was categorized by genre. idk if that makes it easier or more annoying than other local libraries. nevertheless, the librarian was helpful.

I love libraries. To me, they are a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle around town, filled with books to take you away to some exotic locale or live vicariously through someone else. I’ve come here many times to study, pick up a newly released book, or do travel research. Every time I’ve always gotten what I needed quickly and easily. Only thing that could be a downer for some people is the chairs aren’t all cushioned. I never had a problem with it, but some might. If you live in Redondo, there is no reason to go to another library (unless they don’t have a rare book on the study of anthropods or something else that is highly specialized, in which I’d say try the LA library).
Not a 5 star review because there is some weird smell I experience every time I get out of the elevator and walk through the entry hallway. –1 star for smell. (OK– apparently it is from the homeless people, which I understand. It’s just weird that its noticeable here whereas the other libraries I’ve been to don’t have that smell.)

Overall, the main RB library does a pretty good job– the building is really nice and they have a good selection of books. The staff is friendly, though they can get busy and have a line. (They do have a self-​check-​out option)
Downsides– Parking is a little bad (slowest parking garage elevator in the world, park on the street), bums love using the restroom, and the overdue fines aren’t exactly a bargain– but when you live in RB, where else are you going to get free books?

Well I always joke about how I read far fewer books in LA than I did back in Chi… because the weather here is so great I am always doing active outdoor stuff. In Chicago, I could count on a good snowstorm/​rainstorm once in awhile to provide some down time when I would curl up under a blanket with a good book.
In LA, admittedly, I am more likely to use books to weight down the corners of my beach blanket… oh dear…
All that being said, I still do appreciate libraries. In fact I love them, some more than others. In LA, the Beverly Hills Library I think is my favorite.
The Redondo Beach Library is quite attractive though, very impressive from the exterior. See the photos I took today. It’s very large & sits well on its grassy space, and is surrounded with nice landscaping.
It shares a corner (off Diamond St.) with RB City Hall and the cop shop. Redondo HS is across the street (PCH).
There is plenty of free parking in the underground lot under the library building, out of the summer sun.
Inside, there are open spaces, lots of light, and comfy seating. And a large children’s section. And A/C…woohooo! It felt good today. I got none at home, so I’ll remember that the library is a good place to hang out if the temps get oppressive.
Not open Sunday, and it probably should be.